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The regional public brand of agricultural products plays an important role in the development of agricultural economy. How to effectively build regional public brands for agricultural products is an urgent practical problem that needs to be solved in various regions. This study uses Chinese Yingde black tea as a case, aims to understand how government support, resource endowment, industrial clusters, and regional culture affect the regional public brand of agricultural products based on regional brand theory. We collected 416 valid sample data from practitioners related to Yingde black tea through an online survey questionnaire, and used structural equation modeling to obtain government support (β = 0.196, p<0.005), resource allowance (β = 0.144, p<0.05), industrial cluster (β = 0.231, p<0.005) and regional culture (β = 0.335, p<0.005) are positively related to reputation of regional public brands for agricultural products. Industrial clusters and regional culture play the mediating roles between government support, resource empowerment, and the reputation of regional public brands for agricultural products. The results breaks through the single influencing factor perspective of existing research and comprehensively analyzes the interrelationships of different influencing factors in the formation process of regional public brands for agricultural products. It has certain practical implications for the construction of regional public brands for agricultural products in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) widely applied in engineering structures due to its superior behavior requires monitoring and assessment for damage level. Here, the acoustic emission (AE) technique was used to monitor the fracture process of concrete core in CFST stub columns subjected to axial compression. Test and analyzed results show that the damage process of CFST specimens can be divided into four stages: compaction, elastic-plastic stage, strengthening and secondary strengthening. In the elastic-plastic stage, the evolutionary features of the AE event rate, cumulative energy, Ib-value and crack classification are capable of providing an early warning for cracked concrete core. Full crack propagation can be identified by the rapid increase in the proportion of shear cracks near the inflection point of load, which is impermissible in engineering structures. According to the analyses of the AE event rate and signal intensity in the elastic-plastic stage, the confinement of steel tube with thicker wall thickness or higher strength is delayed, which implies that this confinement is suggested to be triggered early. It is indicated that the AE technique has the potential to monitor and evaluate the damage process of CFST stub columns under axial compression, which can provide additional insight into the failure mechanism and assist in the scheme of repairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, attention has been drawn to infrastructure groundbreaking ceremonies and their ritual and political effects. However, infrastructure ceremonies in China, the world's largest builder and supplier of infrastructure and the 'nation of rites', are somehow overlooked. Using insights from infrastructure and ritual studies, and leveraging narratives from Chinese official media, this study aims to explore how infrastructure rituals shape the sociopolitical significance of infrastructure as technical artefact. Through the Chinese case, we find that three elements of infrastructure ritual narratives (time, demands, and relations) are focused, restructured, and amplified. These elements are then interwoven into broader sociopolitical narratives spanning various eras of modern Chinese history. Our aim is to provide a perspective for a deeper understanding of the sociopolitical production of infrastructure meanings through the case of Chinese ceremonies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bond strength between materials is the basis of the cooperative work of composite structures. This study aims to investigate the bonding performance of push-out tests conducted on self-compacting rubberized concrete-filled steel tubes (SCRCFST). The rubber content, particle size, interface bonding length, and water–cement ratio were varied to evaluate their impact on bond strength. The failure mode and failure mechanism were analyzed. The bond damage and energy consumption capacity were investigated. Moreover, this study reveals the characteristics of the stress–slip curve and derives the characteristic equations from reviewing the different points. Test results indicate that rubber particles enhance the energy dissipation capacity of specimens after reaching ultimate bond strength. Furthermore, bond strength decreases with the increase of rubber particles size and water–cement ratio, while the bonding length is barely impacted. It is worth noting that the bonding strength increases slightly at 10% rubber content. The main contribution of this work is to fill the gap in the bonding performance of SCRCFST and guide engineering utilization. Seventeen cylindrical specimens of SCRCFST performed a push-out test by monotonous loading. Bond damage degree and energy dissipation capacity were investigated. Increasing rubber-related parameters negatively affected the bond properties of the structure. Bond strength equations were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controversies over ownership have become important issues in heritage practice. This study employs ontological security (OS) theory to explore the series of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) conflicts represented by the Duanwu/Dano (端午) Festival dispute between China and South Korea. Through a grounded theory approach, this article analyzes diverse narrative frames and routines expressed in Chinese official media, individual blogs and commercial WeMedia since the emergence of the 2005 Duanwu/Dano Festival dispute. The materials pinpoint the diversity and complexity of Chinese society's discursive routines related to ICH-based identity challenges. This article argues that the main reason why ICH has become a controversial field is because different Chinese social groups feel ontologically insecure differently. The ontological security approach also uncovers the complexity of China's diverse responses far beyond the framework of nationalism that views Chinese society as monolithic and static. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the mechanical properties of a material are related to lateral confinement. In this paper, 60 cylindrical high-performance concrete (HPC) specimens with different concrete strength grades were cast and subjected to a conventional triaxial experiment to study the mechanical properties of the material. The experimental results indicated that the specimens exhibited longitudinal splitting failure patterns under uniaxial compression and inclined plane shear failure patterns under triaxial compression. The stress–strain curves were divided into three stages: an elastic rising stage, a plastic rising stage and a softening descending stage. The application of lateral confining pressure effectively increased the triaxial compressive strength. As the concrete strength increased, the descending stage of the stress–strain curves became steeper, indicating an increase in brittleness. Based on the experimental results, the failure criterion of the HPC was analysed using the Drucker–Prager yield criterion and Kotsovos failure theory. The parameters of the Drucker–Prager yield criterion were determined, and the applicable range of the Kotsovos failure theory was also obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete-encased concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) composite columns provide high bearing capacity, good seismic performance and an easier connection with arbitrary angle beams, which are widely used in high-rise buildings. Considering the high frequency of building fires, experimental research investigated the axial compressive behavior of the composite columns' exposure to high temperature in this paper. Fourteen specimens after exposure to high temperatures with different parameters, including the heating temperature, steel tube diameter and concrete cover thickness, were fabricated to test under axial compressive loading. The failure pattern, load-displacement curve, bearing capacity, initial stiffness, deformation performance and damage rule of the specimens were discussed. The test results showed obvious differences in damage of specimens subjected to various high temperatures. The failure of the specimens began with the spalling and crushing of the concrete at the edge and ends in a lantern shape. The load-displacement curves of the specimens were significantly affected by high temperature, while the influence the of steel tube diameter and concrete cover thickness was relatively weak. A method of calculating axially loaded capacity for the composite column exposure to high temperature is proposed considering the effects of the main parameters of heating temperature and steel tube position, and the calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly focused on the seismic performance and shear calculation method of steel reinforced high-strength concrete (SRHC) columns with rectangular helical hoops. An experimental investigation was performed in this paper. Eleven SRHC columns with rectangular helical hoops and one with ordinary hoops were constructed at the laboratory of Guangxi university. The failure modes, hysteresis loops, envelope curves, characteristic loads and displacements and cumulative damage analysis are presented and investigated. It can be seen from the test results that the failure modes of SRHC columns can be divided into three types with the shear span ratio increased, namely, shear baroclinic failure mode, flexure-shear failure mode and flexure failure mode. In addition, the specimens with rectangular helical hoops have plumper hysteretic loops. Shear span ratio is the main influencing factor of characteristic load; the axial compression ratio and concrete strength have less influence on characteristic load, while stirrup ratio has little effect on the characteristic load. Finally, a calculation method for shear capacity of SRHC columns under shear baroclinic failure and flexure-shear failure mode is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Modern traditional‐style steel (MTS) structure is an innovative architecture structure that is widely used in China. This paper explores the possibility of using viscous damper, which can be conveniently installed between beam and column, to replace "sparrow brace" at beam–column joints to improve its seismic capability. Three 1/2.6 scaled MTS double beam–column joints, one without viscous damper and two with viscous damper, were fabricated and tested under dynamic cyclic loading. The results indicated that the primary failure modes were cracking of base metal and local bucking at the beam ends. The hysteretic curve of specimens with viscous dampers was more plump than the common specimen without viscous dampers, indicating better energy dissipation capacity. The displacement ductility ratio was about 1.79–1.96, indicating the viscous damper has little effect on the ductility, whereas in plastic stage, the energy dissipation of specimens and viscous damper increased rapidly, indicating great energy dissipating function of viscous damper. Meanwhile, the results also proved that finite element analysis may stimulate and predict the mechanical behavior of MTS double beam joints with viscous dampers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper innovatively designs polyvinyl chloride tube (PVCT) with high‐strength concrete (HC) and presents the results of cyclic loading tests on new reinforced high‐strength concrete short columns, including three high‐strength concrete‐filled PVCT (HC‐PVCT) short columns, one high‐strength concrete‐filled steel tube short column and one HC short column. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the seismic behaviors of HC short columns based on the quasistatic test of the columns. The design parameters of the columns in the experiments were axial compression ratio, reinforcement measures, concrete strength, stirrups configuration, and the height‐diameter ratio of tubes. The crack distribution, failure modes, hysteresis loops, skeleton curves, energy dissipation capacity, strength degradation, stiffness degradation, and cumulative damage of the columns were presented and analyzed. The results showed that the HC‐PVCT column had a fuller hysteretic loop and a higher peak load than the HC column. Compared with HC column, the strength degradation of HC‐PVCT columns was slower, and the ductility increased significantly. With a larger axial compression ratio, the ductility of HC‐PVCT columns was decreased. Based on the test and analysis results, a modified HC‐PVCT design method was proposed to calculate the nominal shear strength of HC‐PVCT short columns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A complete understanding of the solid-state phase equilibria of the ternary Al–Sn–Y system is essential for the development of both Al-based structural materials and Sn-based lead-free solders. In this work, the phase relationships in the Al–Sn–Y ternary system at 473 K were investigated mainly by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The existence of 12 binary compounds, namely Sn3Y, Sn5Y2, Sn2Y, Sn10Y11, Sn4Y5, Sn3Y5, AlY2, Al3Y5, Al2Y3, AlY, Al2Y and α–Al3Y, was confirmed. Controversial phases (Sn5Y2 and Al3Y5) were found in this work. This isothermal section consisted of 15 single-phase regions, 27 two-phase regions and 13 three-phase regions. No ternary compounds were found and none of the other phases in this system revealed a remarkable solid solution at 473 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]